Poetic devices 10: Allegory

You've hear of metaphor, and you may well have used it in your writing. Metaphor in poetry is very powerful, giving the reader a deeper insight into some profound meaning that must be conveyed. Wouldn't it be great if you could extend that metaphor to an entire narrative or context? Well... you can! 

That's exactly what allegory can achieve. An allegorical narrative is one in which the metaphor extends to encompass characters, objects or places. The entire story becomes one great metaphor. Beneath the surface of the appearance or shape of the words (morphology) and their sounds (phonetics) lies a deeper, symbolic meaning (semantics) to be grasped and understood. The poem or story becomes the vehicle to convey the message through the allegory.

There are many examples of allegory in literature, found in ancient Greek mythology. Take for example Homer's epic poems Odyssey, which is not really about a journey at all, but more a pithy commentary on human emotion and life. The voyage through the land of the lotus eaters represents temptation and illicit pleasure while anger is personified in the Cyclops. 

Allegory can also be seen in the parables of Jesus Christ, who represented His gospel message as seeds that could be sewn on fertile land (which grew into faith) or strewn on stony ground (which failed to produce the fruit of faith) or even to fall in among thorns and weeds (where it was stifled and died). Search through the synoptic gospels and you will find hundreds of extended metaphors. 

There are many examples of extended metaphor or allegory in more recent literature. Animal Farm by George Orwell is an allegory of the Russian revolution of 1917, where the autocratic Czar (the farmer) was overthrown by the common people (the animals) only to be ruled even more brutally by the Bolsheviks (the pigs). 

In poetry, allegory is common. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge is a simple religious allegory of sin and redemption with the albatross representing Christ. The albatross is sent to save the ship, but the mariner kills it with his cross-bow. This is pure symbolism disguised as a story. 

More recently allegory is rife in popular culture, whether in Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, Lost; or in blockbuster movies such as Gravity or Interstellar, the extended metaphor continues to work its magic. Think about what each story represents, and then see if you can develop your own message based on an allegory. 

Steve Wheeler

Previous posts in this series

1. Simile
2. Metaphor
3. Repetition and refrains
4. Alliteration
5. Assonance
6. End Rhymes
7. Internal Rhymes
8. Rhythm and Tempo
9. Enjambment

Image from Ben Templesmith on Flickr

The Line By Line Song Game

 The Line By Line Song Game

It was my brother David’s birthday this past weekend, and us three brothers got together to camp out and spend some quality guy time together hanging out and doing guy stuff.

My oldest brother Doug is a real nut. After a few drinks we got to singing songs referring to anything and everything we were talking about… from fishing to stars to getting older… we sang about it.. satirically of course!

Seems Doug loves poking fun at me being a poet (of course)! My new book is called “Constellation Road”…. so in true big brother fashion he had to tease me… I’m the baby of the three brothers… each five years apart. 

So he hit me up with something like “I felt the pressure grow on constipation road” and I answered his challenge with something like “it jumped on me like an unwanted toad”… and so on… My middle brother David laughed and added his line… we carried an like this, playing cards and joking under the stars.

I thought a little about this… about how our words affect others… how the interaction brings on new meaning. Like poetry collaborations… or songwriters working together. There was a magic in the lyrical combinations of writers like Lennon/McCartney. They bounced ideas off of each other and came up with songs that were no doubt stronger than they would ever have been with only an individual effort.

In my last blog, I referred to reconciling differences. I used an analogy of teaching different aged children with various circumstances and the effect that had on my perspective. Perspective is everything in writing. This variation in culture, class, ability, and gender really brought about a serious change about how I looked at things.

I noticed differences in the way that my brother and I thought of a topic, and exchanged ideas in the line by line song game. We were making each other laugh. It was just extemporaneous fun. An old poet musician friend of mine from college, Bill Harroun, used to play that game together years ago staggering arm in arm in between pubs. It got out of hand at times, but was always fun for us and anyone around us that may have joined in!

“Extemporaneous Prose” I’ve heard it referred to in the classroom… stream of consciousness creativity. Straight from the heart. Or wherever! It comes from these experiences we have with others, from reconciling differences in others for a new world view.

This series is to explore how we as writers come up with our expression and content. The idea of communicating with others is an essential component to growing… or else our work becomes stagnant. I couldn’t imagine a sequel to Henry David Thoreau’s “Walden”, or “Animal Farm” by George Orwell. The story itself says it all so well… why bother going on? The author moves on to the next experience, the next topic, the next hurdle to be jumped.

I ask you to consider where your view comes from reader… do you believe you interpret the world around you from others? Or is it an insular experience, drawn from your own observations? Would you be willing to bounce ideas off of others and collaborate? Do you do so without even knowing… reflected in your solo work subconsciously? 

As writers, when we sit down,… where do the ideas come from? Experience? Imagination? Reflecting lessons from what has happened to those around us? Maybe all three? Possibly more?

I want to thank you for joining me! PLEASE FEEL FREE TO COMMENT on this blog! Answer some of the above questions and let’s create a most welcome dialogue!  Also… join me later this week for the conclusion to this series on “Reconciling Differences”

Until then dear poet… stretch your perspective. Sharen your expression… and always write on! 🚀

Matt Elmore

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